MY LIFE WAS SAVED BY A MINCE PIE

Crumbs led to cancer diagnosis

- DAN WARBURTON

AS mince pies reappear in the shops in the run-up to Christmas, Julie Pickering cannot help but look back to last year and the one she believes saved her life.

Julie had eaten a sneaky mince pie and was brushing away crumbs, trying to hide the evidence from her two kids, when she felt a lump.

The discovery last November led to her being diagnosed with Grade 3, triple negative breast cancer in January.

And now, after six rounds of chemo and a double mastectomy, Julie, 39, is classed as having "no evidence of disease" and plans to run a half marathon to raise funds for a breast cancer charity.